Check it Out: Creo Elements/Direct Showcase

By Anthony J. Lockwood

Dear Desktop Engineering Reader:

Many blab-a-lot bloggers purposely stir up controversy because it can drive up their numbers. Higher numbers can mean more ad sponsorship or wider name recognition, either of which could lead to a juicy consultant contract or better book sales. A good example is all the ralphing going on about parametric versus direct modeling. Can the paradigms work together harmoniously? Which is better for design work? Do enterprises need both? Is it tah-MAY-toe or tah-MAA-toe?

These questions can inflame the passion of provincialism. Look, not everyone needs the same design paradigm. Why, some people succeed with – gasp! – 2D. So don’t ask the wrong questions. The facts are both parametric and direct modelers work, and it’s well documented that they work together well.

Which is better? Ah, the trick – and irrelevant – question. If the job gets done and you have a smashing success, who cares which modeling paradigm you used? You used the right toolset for the job.

And that is pretty much the point in today’s Check It Out video. The video is sponsored by PTC, and it stars Creo Elements/Direct – the direct modeler formerly known as CoCreate.

The designs in this 15-minute video all seem real. (I get the idea from my contact at PTC that it is based on a real-world manufacturer of tube-filling and tube-handling equipment, which probably explains that.) The problems also seem real: Last minute engineering change orders (ECOs). Creo Elements/Direct enables the guys in the video to accommodate big late changes easily. And it also links together the new product development team in a collaborative effort to design, simulate, and solve for the ECO in a few hours.

After viewing the video, it’s easy to understand why many manufacturers rely on a direct modeler like Creo Elements/Direct in their new product design process: It has capabilities that are too good to ignore. And I should mention that this is not a “I’ve come to bury parametric modeling” video. PTC after all invented parametric modeling. It is simply an excellent demo of what direct editing with Creo Elements/Direct can mean for you.

So, give it look. Then ask yourself the real questions: A) What do ALL the people in my outfit need to succeed at their job B) is our product development process 21st-century structured to succeed even in a pressure situation and C) are there times when using one modeling paradigm or the other is better?